D&D General Who is this made for (Not Beginners) - the New D&D Starter Set

[UngeheuerLich]

They aren't defined in the Read this first booklet which tells you to punch tokens and gather them up and stuff.

They do not have a Section which is labeled about Hitpoints, and they do not have it in the Glossary as a term in case you don't know what they are.

They are discussed in combat (finally) after you've put together your character.

The box description on the back tells you that it has "learn-as-you-play components".
Which is quite normal for complex games these days.

The Robinson Crusoe worker placement cooperative adventure game big box has an intro booklet, where you learn the game during play. Learning more and more mechanics while you advance from level to level.
Yeah, at times it was a bit confusing, because we already saw things on our boards that were not explained at that time. But once you accepted that and just ignore everything not yet explained, it worked just fine.

So HP are explained the first time they are used. In the first combat. Seems to make sense. Not learning in advance before it comes up, but just at the right time.

Of course, you could say, that if your players had known that bigger number of HP were better, they had chosen a different character... but I think it is not wrong to assume that your players somehow know that bigger numbers are better.

 

[Bae'zel]

The box description on the back tells you that it has "learn-as-you-play components".
Which is quite normal for complex games these days.

The Robinson Crusoe worker placement cooperative adventure game big box has an intro booklet, where you learn the game during play. Learning more and more mechanics while you advance from level to level.

I personally feel that this is the best way to teach people to play complex games. Boardgames or RPGs.

I best learned Kill Team via their starter box, which had several scenarios to teach the core concepts of the game step by step, with simpler versions of stat blocks. First scenario was focused on the turn order, the next ranged attacks, the next melee, the next cover etc.

I learned the game far more easily that way than just buying the core rulebook, which I'd done first. The starter set got me up and running (while also providing a ton of material to play the full game itself).

 

[Neonchameleon]

@BruceWright

Thanks for pointing it out. It's not under Hitpoints though...wonder why?

It's not at the portion where they actually needed to know what they were in order to utilize that information.

On the contrary it's at exactly the point when people need to know what they are in order to utilise the information - when they take damage and need to interact with their hit points. Other than that (and healing which happens after damage) it's just something that is there and not particularly relevant or for them to interact with so they don't actually need to know even if some (and not all) might want to.

Oh, and the character board itself says "place hit points tokens here. Remove them as you take damage. If you are reduced to 0 hit points , see the dropping to 0 hit points section on p16 of the play guide".

You are literally saying they should do what they did.

What it boiled down to is they read the Read this First...which had no definition and no giving of any idea what Hit Points were. So, when it was mentioned they had no idea what type of tokens they were supposed to use.

I mean it's only, as has been shown, on the sprue and "hp" is literally written on the tokens. I haven't read it - but I would also expect a component list. Oh and the Spell Attack Rolls modifier is also on the wizard and cleric character boards.

Did ... you just not use the provided character boards?

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yes, because you don't need to start playing D&D. You've already been doing this version of the game for a decade.
Complaining that the starter set isn't right for a highly experienced player is like complaining that the book See Dog Run doesn't match Hemmingway.

If the 2014 starter set had cost $50 and was full of all this new stuff I still would not have bought it, because no starter set should cost equal to or greater than its PH IMO. I care about pages of information and variety in play options, and starter sets have a lot less of that, so to me they should cost a lot less (like LMoP). Being a better teaching tool does not make up for that lack of game content, such that having them be the same price would be acceptable to me. I have taught many players how to play different games, and it is always through either the core rules or a reasonably priced starter set.

 

[mamba]

Being a better teaching tool does not make up for that lack of game content, such that having them be the same price would be acceptable to me.

the last two words are the relevant ones…

 

[Micah Sweet]

the last two words are the relevant ones…

Yeah, obviously. I only speak for myself. To me, spending equal money to a PH equivalent on a starter set for the same game is nonsensical and I cant think of a situation when I would do it.

We're all speaking for ourselves, because that's all we have a right to do IMO.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It wouldn’t matter if the starter set cost $1. It’s still a waste of money if you are not a beginner or going to use it to introduce beginners to the game. The clue is in the name.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It wouldn’t matter if the starter set cost $1. It’s still a waste of money if you are not a beginner or going to use it to introduce beginners to the game. The clue is in the name.

I would (and have) happily paid more than $1 for a starter set with the intent to use it to teach players. But not as much as the PH.

 

[Imaro]

If the 2014 starter set had cost $50 and was full of all this new stuff I still would not have bought it, because no starter set should cost equal to or greater than its PH IMO. I care about pages of information and variety in play options, and starter sets have a lot less of that, so to me they should cost a lot less (like LMoP). Being a better teaching tool does not make up for that lack of game content, such that having them be the same price would be acceptable to me. I have taught many players how to play different games, and it is always through either the core rules or a reasonably priced starter set.

"You have taught" being key here... an experienced player is not included with every rulebook/starter set. I'd rather spend $50 on a starter set that makes certain I can learn how to play the game than get a discounted one or the rulebook and bounce off playing because its not user friendly or worse...have to hope someone more experienced comes along and uses it to teach me.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I would (and have) happily paid more than $1 for a starter set with the intent to use it to teach players. But not as much as the PH.

But it's not equivalent to a PHB. It's equivalent to a Starter Version of the PHB, DMG, MM, and an Adventure, plus character sheets, minis, dice, and battle maps!